Car-coupling.



No. 690,296. Patented Dec. 3|, 19m.

- I. L. KISER.

CAR GOUPLINEL (Application filed may 17, 1901.)

( No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC L. KISER, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 690,296, dated'December 31, 1901.

Applicationfiled May 17,1901. serial No. 60,761. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC L. KIsER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-couplings; and the object of the-invention is to provide a compact, neat, substantially made, and well reinforced device of this character.

The invention includes as one of its features a draw head and a coupling member carried thereby having similar coupling-jaws at its opposite ends, and this coupling member in the present case has three pin-holes, one at or substantially at the center and the others at the extremities thereof. From this statement it will be evident that the coupling member is reversible, so that if one of the jaws should become worn or broken, and thereby defective, said coupling member can be reversed, so thatit becomes, in effect,a new part, and this coupling member in practice will be made of standard dimensions, so that it can operate in conjunction with any of the automatic car-couplings nowin use. In the present case the draw-head has two pin-holes extending vertically through the same, and the forward one is adapted to register with the central coupling-pin hole in said coupling member when the latter is closed, such closed position being maintained by a suitable locking device, and if from any cause this forward hole in the draw-head should break out a coupling-pin can be inserted in the rear hole of said draw-head and passed through what is for the time being the rear hole in the duplex coupling member, so that a deadlock is secured, so that the car can be safely transported to a terminal station.

The invention includes other novel and advantageous featu res which,with the foregoing,

will be set forth in the following description, while the novelty will form the basis of the appended claims' The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the figures of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a plan View of a car-coupling involving my present improvements in one locking membertherefordetached. Fig. 6is

an underside viewof the top wall of the chamber in the draw-head.

Like characters refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The draw-head is denoted in a general way by 12 and is formed at the forward end of a draw-bar 13.

The coupling member isdesiguated by 14', and it includes in its make-up two similar jaws, as 15 and 16, and it has a central pinhole-l7 and end pin-holes, as 18, all extending vertically through the same. The central pin-hole is adapted normally to receive a pivot-pin, hereinafter described, to permit the necessary oscillation of the duplex coupling-jaw. The said duplexcoupling-jaw is symmetrically formed throughout its entire length, and one of the jaws or ends thereof is normally housed within the chamber of the draw-head, constituting, in efiect, a knuckle.

It will be seen that the draw-head has two pin-holes, as 20 and 21, the first-mentioned one being at the rear and what might be considered as slightly to the right of the other one, the hole 20 being adapted to register with what is for the time being the rearmost hole in the duplex coupling-jaw when the latter is closed. In view of this construction, should the forward hole of the draw-head break out all that will be necessary to do to safely transport the car to the end of its journey will be to place a pin through the said rear;registering holes, whereby the coupling-jaw will be dead-locked. For additional security two pins can be placed through the said pin-holes. It will be evident that the coupling member l4c is reversible, and should one of the jaws become worn or broken from any cause said coupling member need only be reversed to present, in effect, a new part.

The locking member for the jaw is denoted by 22, and it includes in its construction a back piece, as 23, which may be of rectangular plate form, which is vertically slidable in a substantially similarly shaped depression or pocket in the rear wall 'of the chamher 22' of the draw-head, and the opposite side walls of the depression guide said back piece or body of the locking member. One of the walls of this depression or pocket is shown as beveled and fitting over the correspondingly-shaped edge of the back piece or plate, so that forward-and-backward oscillation of the same is thereby prevented.

The back piece or plate 23 has on its forward face the two forwardly projecting flanges 24, somewhat triangular in shape, and one edge of each flange is rounded, as at 2 L, to engage against the correspondingly-rounded surface of the inner jaw of the duplex coupling member, so as to lock and firmly hold the latter.

The top wall of the internal chamber of the draw-head has a pocket, as 25, shaped to agree in outline with the superposed flanges 24. The upper flange is adapted to receive the lower threaded end of the lifting-pin or eyebolt 26, which is introduced through a suitably-placed perforation in the draw-head. Assuming the coupling member to be locked in its closed position and that it is necessary to release the same, to accomplish this the locking member 22 will be lifted by the pin 26 until the upper flange 24 thereon is carried into the pocket 25. This will bring the lower flange into horizontal line with the trans verse opening or aperture 27 in what is for the time being the inner or housed jaw of the duplex coupling member. NVhen this is done, the latter can be swung open, and as it does so it will sustain the said locking member in its elevated position. When said couplingmemher is closed and when it reaches its rearmost position, the locking member 22 will drop simply by gravity, so as to maintain the said part 14 in its locked position.

Some of the knuckles now in use have a tendency from their perpendicular bearing on the knuckle-locks to work up and out,thereby uncoupling the train, and it has frequently occurred that the mere setting of the caboosebrake when a train has full headway has caused such upward movement of the knuckle-lock from the strain that the train is thereby uncoupled. My improved knuckle-lock, it will be seen, has a horizontal hearing which prevents the working out of the knuckle.

The invention is not limited to the exact construction previously described, for many changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Malleable iron,basic steel, or any other in aterial sufliciently strong and substantial for the purpose may be employed in constructing my improved coupling.

My improved reversible coupling member constitutes a combination double reversible knuckle, which when one of the jaws becomes worn or broken from any cause need only be turned end for end to present practically a new coupling member.

Having described the invention, I claim- 1. In a car-coupling, a draw-head and a coupling member carried thereby having similar coupling-jaws at its opposite ends and a central pivot-pin-receiving hole and having other holes at the ends thereof formed respectively in said jaws, the last-mentioned holes being equidistantly disposed from the central hole, and a pin passing through the central hole and also through a hole in the draw-head, and the latter having a second hole arranged to register with the inner hole in the coupling member when the same is closed.

2. In a carcoupling, a draw-head and a coupling member carried thereby having simi lar coupling-jaws at its opposite ends and a central pivot-pin-receiving hole and having other holes at the ends thereof formed respectively in said jaws, the last-mentioned holes being equidistantly disposed from the central hole, a pin passing through the central hole and also through a hole in the draw-head and the latter havinga second hole arranged to register with the inner hole in the coupling member when the same is closed, and a vertically-slidable locking member inclosed and guided by the draw-head.

3. In a car-coupling, a coupling member includinga central hub having a hole to receive a pivot-pin and curved jaws extending oppositely from the central hub and said jaws being of like form.

4. In a car-coupling, a draw-head and a coupling member carried thereby, the coupling member including a central hub having a hole and curved jaws extending oppositely .from said hub, a pivot-pin on the draw-head ICC 

